Springer MVP

George Springer took home World Series MVP honors:

He launched a Series record-tying five homers, including shots in each of the final four games, and celebrated those Springer Dingers by hollering around the bases.

Many years ago, that type of trip would’ve been hard to believe. Impossible, really.

As a kid, Springer stuttered so severely that he frequently fell silent, unless he was around his family or close friends. Over time, he’s improved so much that he graciously grants interviews, even on national television, and never seems to shy away from the spotlight. He even wore a live mic in center field during the All-Star Game in July.

I was thrown by that last paragraph. I thought the story was going in the direction of players shouldn’t celebrate home runs, just run around the bases. No showing up the other team. Bryce Harper wanted to make baseball fun again, and little by little, it seems to have caught on. This was not only a great series, but through the playoffs, we saw players having fun.

Springer had the most fun of all, especially in the World Series. He hit .379/.471/1.000, with eight of his eleven hits going for extra bases. He tied a World Series record with five home runs. He hit .400 with men on base and .600 with men in scoring position, all from the lead-off spot. With the exception of an ill-advised dive, he played a fine centerfield.

Note that while a number of Astros hitters did not collect many hits in the World Series, they hit for power. The team’s isolated power was .237, with half of their 56 hits going for extra bases. The Dodgers did the same thing at a lower level, with 22 of their 47 hits going for extra bases.

from baseballmusings.com http://ift.tt/2z68dtB